Chihayafuru Vol. 40 (Kodansha, 2023)

Chihaya punches her ticket at last to the Queen Match after a fierce battle. Chihaya sees where Shinobu, with her unmatched talents, stands, and it is a wasteland beyond anything she could have imagined. Shinobu comes to Chihaya with a proposal in order to achieve her goal of becoming the world's first karuta pro. Meanwhile, Taichi and Arata each have one win and one loss as their feelings for karuta and one another butt heads on the tatami mats! The East-West Challenger Final is determined at last! What is it that they're going to see after this battle they've put their entire youth into?!